Gttabd-bail bbace



April :13 1926. A. ,=-1,580, 628- RIB. ABBOTTf I GUARD MIL BRACE Fil ed Dec. 24, 1 925 p t v 'QINVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 13, 1926.

RANSLOE BOONE ABBOTT, OF READING, PENNSYLVANIA.

GUARD-RAIL BRACE.

Application filed December 24, 1925.

T (ZZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, it'niisnon BOONF. Anno'rii, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Reading, in the county of Berks and State oi? Pennsylvania, have invented an l ni n'ovement in Guard-Rail Braces, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to braces employed for maintaining guard rails in proper fixed position or relation to rail'ndty frogs, particularly the points thereof. It is essential in practice that guardrails be held in proper fixed position with respect to the points of railway frogs in order to prevent the flanges oi locomotive or railway car wheels from striking or contacting with frog-points.

The general object of the present inven tion is to provide an improved and novel construction of brace adapted to be employed for retaining and holding a guard rail in predetermined fixed relation to a "ail way frog, particularly the point thereof.

lt'is also an object of the invention to provide a brace of novel construction and of a character such as to adaptit for use in connection with tracks protected by auto.- matic block signals and railways on which the cars are electrically propelled, the said brace having means which is non-conductive, whereby opposing or parallel portions of the track structure are insulated from each other. 1

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction of brace having novel means whereby the length of the brace may be adjusted so as to adapt it for use between portions of track structures located at different or varying distances fromeach other.

A further object of the invention is to provide abrace which is of simple construction and which comprises novel means for facilitating. the placing of the same in position between a guard rail and an opposing railway frog, and for adjusting the length of the same after it has been placed in such position. i

To these and other ends my invention comprehends the construction as illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and to which're'ference will be made for a full and clear under standing of the invention. It willbe understood that the invention is susceptible of embodiment in other forms of construction than that shown and that changes in the details of construction may be made within Ecrial No. 77,427.

the scope of the claims without departing from the principle 01? the invention.

lathe drawing:

Fig.1 is a view in top plan of a portion of railway track comprising a switch and guard rail between which is shown a brace embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on thelline 2-2 oi? vFig. 1 showing the railway track structure in cross section and the brace embody ing the. invention in longitudinal section;

Fig. is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1; V r

Fig. 4 is a like View taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1; i

I? 5 is a similar view taken on the line 5 5 ofFig. 1; and

Fig. 6 is a view in perspective of a separablesQcket member constituting apart of the structureshown in Fig. 1. i

Referring to the drawing, it will-be noted that the running rail and frog" are mounted upon, crossties l in known manner. The frog wing rails are indicated at 2 and the frog point at 3. One of the main rails of the track is indicated at 4: with which is associated a guard rail 5 the purpose oi which has already beenindicated. Interposed between the guard rail 5 and the inner rail 6 of the frog is the brace embodying. my invention. The said brace consists of a socket member 10 of metal whiclrmay be cast or otherwise formed. The said member 10 comprises a central socket opening 11 having a top 12 between which and u-pwardly and inwardly extending flanges 13 grooves 1 1 are provided for the reception of a slidable plate 15 adapted to close an-opening 16 formed by reason oi the termination of the top 12 a distance from the outer or end wall 1'? of the socket member 10. The

bottom of the socket'member lO isadapted to rest upon two adjoining cross-ties 1 and to be secured thereto by means of lag screws 20. The socket member 10 is provided with oppositely inclined portions 21 the lower edges of which are joined with the base of the casting near the opposite edges thereof. The upper edges of the said inclined portions 21 arejoined with the upper edges of the opposite sides of the opening 11 and with the flanges 13. The presence oi these inclined portions 21 operates to strengthen the casting and also to provide means to prevent any portion of the running gear or a car from catching in any part of the castin Any ob'ect depending from a car and being dragge along thereby in either direction would contact with one of the inclined portions 21 and slide thereover and would be prevented thereby from catching in any part of the casting.

The socket member 10 is provided upon its outer side in alinement with the opening 11 with a projection 25 the lower side of which is hollowed out, as indicated, for the sake of lightening the structure. The said projection constitutes a bearing nose for contact with the inner side of the frog wing rail 2. The bearing nose or projection 25 contacts with the said section 2 underneath a flange 26 whereby it is held against displacement upwardly. It will be understood, of course, that the bearing projection or nose 25, being integral with the socket, member 10, is also held in stationary position by means of the lag screws 20 to which reference has been made previously.

A member 27 of wood 'or other material, constituting an insulator or a poor conductor of electricity, is interposed between the socket member 10 and the web 30 of the guard rail 5 previously referred to. The outer end of themember 27 is maintained at all times in contact with the web or side of the said guard rail. Movement ither up or down of the member 27 is prevented by the flanges 31 and 32 at the upper and lower sides of the rail 5. The opposite inner end of the member 27 projects into the opening 11 of the socket member 10. The said member should be of such length that its inner end terminates in a plane near the inner surface of the outside or end wall of the opening 11'.

In case there should be an interval between the inner end of the member 27 and the adjacent opposing surface of the end wall 17 of the opening ll-the same should be filled by one or more shims 33 of metal. A greater or less number of these shims may be employed as may be necessary, These shims are adapted to be confined in place by the slidable plate 15. This plate is adapted to be fastened in position to close the opening 16 by means of a pin or'screw 34. This pin or screw is removable so that the plate 15 may be moved into open position to permit the insertion of additional shims in case it should become necessary to increase the length of the brace structure.

In order to prevent an object mounted upon or depending from a railway car and moving therewith from catching, upon the member 27 of the brace I have provided a shield or cover of sheet metal of a shape such as is shown in Fig. 5. The said sheet metal cover comprises a central portion 37 which is adapted to occupy a position directly above the member 27 and opposite downwardly and outwardly inclined portions 38 which terminate in flanges 39 which are adapted to rest upon adjoining cross-ties 5 and to be secured thereto by means of lag screws 40.

It will be noted that by my invention I have provided a brace of simple construction comprising two members or elements which are adapted to be readily joined in detachable relation to each other; also that I have provided means whereby the members of the brace may be adjusted relatively to each other so as to vary the total end to end length thereof to render the same either shorter or longer; and also that I have provided a brace of a construction such that it may be relatively light and thereby easily handled. It will also be seen that I have provided a st ucture in which the brace is protected in a manner to prevent objects connected with and suspended from a railway car from catching thereon and thus either disrupting or destroying the brace structure, or else causing injury to the car structure.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patcut is:

1. A guard rail brace comprising a member having a socket opening in one end thereof and the other end thereof adapted to bear against the inner side of a guard rail or frog, and a member, one end of which is adapted. to enter the said socket and the other end of which is adapted to bear against the inner side of a frog or guard rail.

2. A guard rail brace comprising a member having a socket opening in one end thereof and the other end thereof'adapted to bear against the inner side of a guard rail or frog, a member one end of which is adapted to enter the said socket and the other end of which is adapted to bear.

3. A guard rail brace, comprising a socket member having a socket opening located centrally thereof and having oppositely ex.- tending portions adapted to be connected with adjoining cross-ties of a railway track structure, and the said socket member having an outwardly projecting bearing portion, a member nonconductive of electric current one end of which is adapted to enter the socket opening of the said socket member and the other end of which is adapted to contact with a guard rail or with a frog, and means whereby the said two members may be adjusted with relation to each other.

4. A guard rail brace, comprising a socket member having a central socket, the top of which is provided with an opening adjacent the bottom of the said socket, an elongated member one end of which is adapted to detachably engage the said socket, the opposite end of which is adapted to contact with a guard rail or a frog, means adapted to be inserted through the said opening into the said socket tor adjusting the said mem bers with respect to each other, and a slidable plate for closing the said opening, substantially as described.

5. In combination, a socket member having a centrally disposed relatively thick portion provided with a socket and having oppositely downwardly and outwardly extending side portions terminating in flanges at their outer ends means for fastening the said flanges to adjoining cross-tiesot a railway track, a member one end of which is adapted to enter the said socketv and the other end of which is adapted to contact with a guard rail or with a frog, a shield for protecting the last mentioned member, which shield is located intermediate the inner end of the said socket member and the outer end of the second named member of the brace structure, and means for securing the said shield to adjoining cross-ties of a railway track.

6. A guard rail brace, comprising in combination, a socket member having a socket and also having a bearing projection extending outwardly in alinement with, the said socket, and the top of said socket being provided with a transwerselyv extending opening adjacent the bottom of the said socket, means for securing the said socket member to cross-ties of a railway track structure, a wooden member one end 01 which is adapted to enter the said socket and the other end of which is adapted to contact with a guard rail or a frog, and means adapted to be inserted through the said opening'to positions intermediate the bottom of the said socket and the adjacent opposing end of the said wooden member, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have hereunto signed my name this 19th day of December, 1925.

RANSLOE BOON E ABBOTT. 

